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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — music
  5. lean — thin
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. swing — in golf
  9. game — wild animals
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. charge — a price
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — to play on
  14. season — of the year
  15. lean — to bend
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. season — in sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com